Easy Vegan Dirt Pudding Cups (Gluten Free!)

Ultra rich vegan dirt pudding cups that make for the best vegan Halloween treat for kids! You won’t believe these layers of dairy free chocolate pudding, gluten free chocolate cookie crumbles, and homemade veggie and fruit gummy worms that are naturally vegan and made without gelatin! So easy and fun to make, it’s a family favorite Halloween dessert!

If you loved dirt pudding cups (or worms and dirt 😉 ) growing up as a kid, then you’re going to be *obsessed* with this easy vegan dirt pudding cup recipe!

Yes, everything in this worms n’ dirt recipe is naturally vegan, dairy free, made without gelatin, and easily gluten free as needed- yet you’d never know. My entire family absolutely adores this vegan dirt pudding cups, and they’re great to involve kids in the process of making them for a fun and easy vegan Halloween dessert!

The rich chocolate pudding is incredibly simple to make, and you can either use homemade Oreos by following my recipe or store bought! The gummy worms are arguably my favorite part- I like to use fruit juice and vegetable juice with a little agar agar powder to create the ultimate homemade gummy worms that kids just adore!

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What are dirt pudding cups?

If you’ve never had dirt pudding- don’t worry. No dirt is involved! Dirt pudding, or worms n’ dirt or worms and dirt pudding or mud pudding cups, is a combination of rich chocolate pudding, chocolate cookie crumble (the dirt), and gummy worms.

It’s insanely rich, insanely sweet, and soooo satisfying. BUT instead of making the classic version, I did a twist on the classic (I mean, did you expect anything else?!).

Typically, kids and adults enjoy them in the summer or for a fun Halloween dessert. Dirt pudding cups aren’t naturally vegan, however, as they contain dairy and gelatin.

That’s why we’re making this unbelievably vegan version (that’s also gluten free!) so that everyone can enjoy- yes even the non-vegans!

Making vegan dirt and worms pudding cups

So you’re probably wondering if there’s some witchcraft behind one of the best healthy Halloween treats, and the answer is yes and no. You see, behind every trick of the magician, there’s an explanation. So while on the outside, these healthier dirt pudding cups look unbelievable, I’m about to reveal that magic for you 😉

For these “Oreo” dirt pudding cups, we’ll be making a Paleo chocolate pudding (that also happens to be vegan), my favorite recipe for vegan Oreo cookies (it’s insane how much these taste like Oreo’s- one person that I was lying that I made them!), and for the real kicker: homemade vegan gummy worms.

Now, before you run for the hills, don’t fret. This vegan chocolate pudding does not contain any millennial freakiness, like avocado or sweet potato (yes, I just made fun of myself because my sweet potato mousse is incredible haha!). It’s also actually simpler than my regular vegan chocolate pudding recipe!

This recipe does not contain any nuts, nor gelatin, nor require you to use any freaky equipment other than a gummy worm mold and two saucepans.

Now for the ingredients. For the vegan chocolate pudding, you’ll need:

• Coconut cream
• Coconut sugar
• Cacao powder
• Chocolate Chips
• Arrowroot powder (or cornstarch, but this won’t make it Paleo)
• Vanilla

And finally, for the vegan gummy worms (the simplest of them all), you’ll need:

• Orange juice or carrot juice
• Green juice (I recommend using a green juice with apple or pineapple in it for kids- it’ll be the one of the best healthy Halloween treats for kids then because the worms will still be sweet, yet they’ll get some nutrients in!)
• Agar powder

Now because making your own gummy candy sounds a little bit intimidating, and making the pudding and the cookies are pretty straight forward, I want to walk you through how to make these vegan gummy worms in the easiest way possible!

How to make gummy candy

…That’s also vegan and Paleo and low in sugar? Doing what I do, I’ve since learned that really anything is possible! Plus, making gummy candy is actually much easier than you would think.

Because I wanted these gummy worms to be simple and made with ingredients parents could feel good about and kids could enjoy, I chose to go with real veggie and fruit juices, mixed with agar powder.

Agar powder is basically the vegan/vegetarian version of gelatin, and personally, I think it works even better because there’s no taste to it. I was unable to purchase agar powder in stores, so I ordered online, but you may find some at your local health food store!

Now for making gummy worms, you do need a mold. This is the exact mold I use, and I highly recommend it, as it comes with the really helpful eye droppers so you can just squeeze the juice into the mold rather than making a mess!

Here are the easy steps to making gummy worms from scratch:

1. Heat one juice (whichever color you want to do first!) on the stove until it begins to bubble.
2. Add in the agar powder and stir for about 5 minutes on medium heat. It will still look like just juice.
3. Remove the juice from the heat and pipe the juice into the gummy worm molds. Let it sit for 5 minutes to stiffen then transfer to the fridge to cool for 10 minutes.

Easy right? You’re going to LOVE building these dirt pudding cups with homemade gummy worms!

You are just going to love these vegan dirt pudding cups! It seriously makes for one of the best healthy Halloween treats for kids, and takes me straight back to childhood.

If you end up giving these pudding cups a go, let me know down in the comments, and of course, I’ll be sharing everyone Halloween worms and dirt on my Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!

Happy digging and worming haha!

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If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!

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